Ground Broken on Arista AMLI Community Expansion

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

Broomfield, Colo.—AMLI Residential has announced the groundbreaking on an expansion of Arista AMLI Community in Broomfield, Colo. The expansion will add another 168 apartments, bringing the total at Arista to 526 apartments.

The Arista Development is the only true transit-oriented, mixed-use development of its kind in Colorado. The 200-acre project is anchored by an events venue, 1^st Bank Center, and it offers a distinctive blend of urban living and hometown feel. Among its amenities are parks, a hotel and a 1,500-space parking garage.

Informally termed a “live-work-play-shop-dine-stay” community, Arista has a 92,000-square-foot office component that is 100 percent leased and occupied.

The residential communities at Arista include AMLI Residential, Arista Uptown Apartments, KB Home and Century Communities.

At present, Arista offers more than 600 residential units, consisting of luxury apartments, townhomes, live-work lofts and two-story attached paired homes. The expansion will augment the existing community with seven three-story buildings on a five-acre parcel. The units will be made up of one- and two-bedroom floor plans, and will range in in size from 767 to 1,202 square feet.

“Broomfield and specifically Arista are being seen as really good areas in which to invest,” Joe Zepeda, senior project manager with Broomfield-based Wiens Capital Management, tells MHN. “Because Arista is situated exactly halfway between Denver and Boulder, it’s easy for people to go to either place and yet come back to a suburban environment right here in Broomfield.

“The existing phase of 358 apartments has been quite successful, and AMLI wants to take advantage of the renewed interest in the renting lifestyle.”

Development on Arista began in 2004. It is the only development in the area with an event center right on the premises, Zepeda says. It is also well served by both local buses and “rapid buses” running to Denver and Boulder.

Arista AMI Community has long benefited from a convenient location, and three major roadway improvement projects promise to enhance that convenience. The widening of U.S. 36, replacement of the 112^th Ave. Bridge and final completion of the 120^th Ave. connection will speed commutes to and from the community.

Arista AMLI Community’s expansion is evidence AMLI believes in the Arista community, notes Arista developer Tim Wiens. “[The company’s] investment will enhance an already strong residential presence. And we are excited to have a nationally recognized name like AMLI at Arista,” he says.

Adds Andy Mutz, vice president of development for AMLI Residential: “We are very excited to commence the expansion of our project at Arista. The Arista project has been an important part of our plan, and it just made sense to expand at this great location.”

With the expansion announcement, a goal that dates back nine years to the start of work on Arista is being realized, Zepeda says. “Arista is quickly becoming its own community, and forming its own identity, just as was originally envisioned,” he reports. “From a residential perspective, this expansion will bring the residential component one step closer to completion.”